The Lake and the present moment | Day 162 of my 2023 Journal

I read about the book “Your stolen focus,” which got me thinking about my focus. How I hardly ever meditate anymore, and how my mind drifts (which is a good thing) and my focus dissolves (which is a bad thing).

In the beautiful Swedish summer, we are currently living in my husband's best friend's family house in Sweden, a former school, and a classic Swedish wooden home: Red with white windows. When we walk, the forest is rich and green, the landscape beautiful, with small houses and cute, calm cows and birds singing. In the afternoons, we have been driving to a nearby lake to swim. There is no end to how beautiful it is.

It has been lovely to enjoy life with friends, doing our thing. Swimming a bit in the lake, lying around in the sun, playing music, reading books.

One afternoon I was lying around all alone on the bathing bridge. Reminded of my lack of focus, I did a mindful exercise, which was very rewarding and spiritually interesting. I looked at the reflections in the water of trees and clouds, keeping my focus right there. Then the mind drifts; I am lost to the world, realize it and go back to the present moment. It was lovely. After a while, my husband joined. We saw the insects, the flowers, the fish, and a single snake swimming in the water. Oh, the silence. And the beauty. So soothing for the mind.

Little mindfulness and staying-in-the-present-moment exercises are good routines to pick up; I am already grateful for the book as I feel it puts me back on track.

We spent two lovely afternoons by the lake with Alexander and his daughter Ronja, and my sons' friend who joined us for the weekend, and Alexanders' partner Hannah.

Healing time in nature.

Immersed in the water with my children, sitting on the bridge with my daughter laughing, talking books with my son, doing a bit of yoga here and there, and learning new skills on my handpan.

On Sunday, they all left in the afternoon, and we had 3 hours before my sister and her family arrived.

Back-to-back Swedish happiness.

Love and light

Cecilie Conrad

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Thank you for reading
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